Sanford, Fla., pastors stood united on Friday morning in front of
Holy Cross Episcopal Church to declare unity among local clergy.

More than 20 pastors crossed ethnic and denominational lines in a
pledge to work side-by-side to bring healing and reconciliation to the
community in the wake of the tragic death of Trayvon Martin.

“We call not on our city but on our state and our nation to work
toward reconciliation,” said Rory Harris, pastor of Holy Cross Episcopal
Church. “There are certain things we need to deal with. There is work
to be done. We have to get past this and move forward.” read more

The Charisma Media iPad app is the fruit of nearly two years of
research, development and approval processes with Apple. With the launch
of the new app, Charisma Media’s vision for reaching the nations for
Christ through advanced technology charges ahead on yet another
platform. Readers can download the iPad app free and subscribe to
Charisma Digital to read Charisma anywhere they go.

"When I launched Charisma magazine 30 years ago, I never
dreamed I'd one day read it on a large-screen mobile device like the
iPad," says Steve Strang, founder and CEO of Charisma Media. "We've
always been at the forefront of Christian movements with our editorial
perspective. With Charisma Digital, we're on the cutting-edge of Christian media delivery as more consumers read their news on portable devices."

For readers, this new digital platform offers an opportunity to experience Charisma
magazine on a whole new level. Readers can navigate through interactive
pages loaded with rich media and experience the convenience of Charisma
on the world’s most popular tablet device. A new report from the The
Magazine Publisher’s Association (MPA) reveals that tablet owners are
reading more thanks to the rise of digital magazines. In fact, 66
percent of people who read magazines on tablet devices and e-readers
expect to spend more time with digital issues in 2012—and 90 percent say
they are reading as much, if not more, magazine content since buying a
tablet.

“Interactive digital magazines like Charisma Digital are
ideal for tablets and e-reader devices—devices on which the next
generation of charismatic Christians are consuming media,” says Marcus
Yoars, editor of Charisma magazine. "With Charisma Digital,
you can tap into Spirit-filled news, inspiring features and teaching
articles that help equip you to make a difference in your world."

For advertisers, Charisma Digital presents a new opportunity
to reach a growing market of savvy consumers. The MPA survey reveals
that 59 percent of consumers want to buy directly from advertisements
and 79 percent say they want the ability to purchase products and
services directly from editorial features. Nearly 75 percent of those
surveyed say they typically engage with digital magazine ads.

“Digital magazines are taking the medium to the next level,” says
Christopher Kevorkian, executive vice president of Digital at the MPA.
“While various research has long proved that print magazines drive
purchase behavior, digital magazines hold the promise of creating a
direct link between purchase intent and actual transaction. The study
proves that consumers look to magazine media to create that
opportunity.”

How to get Charisma on your iPad:

1. Subscribe to Charisma Digital online at www.charismadigital.com and create your username and password for full access to Charisma Digital.* 2. Open the iPad Newsstand store.3. Search for "Charisma" or "Charisma Media."4. Download the free Charisma Media app (Internet connection and iTunes account required).5. Sign in with your Charisma Digital username/password and download individual issues, with more added every two weeks.

Living Hope needed ‘faith and a fight’ to hold on to its former Kmart campus

Despite high-profile ministry bankruptcies in the past year, Living Hope Church is proving God is still faithful by raising more than $1 million in just 40 days to maintain possession of its Vancouver, Wash., campus, a former Kmart retail store.

Of course, no one said the miracle came without faith and a fight.

Not only did the 6,000-member church have its challenges, senior pastor John Bishop personally felt the impact of principalities and powers that opposed his gospel mission. Bishop suffered health problems even as his son battled with drugs. read more

San Francisco’s Tenderloin district houses 37,000 people in 586 apartment buildings—all in just one square mile. The multi-denominational ministry San Francisco City Impact (SFCI) dreams of planting churches in those apartment buildings—in every single one of them.

Francis Chan, author of Crazy Love and former pastor of Cornerstone Community Church, is working with the SFCI team on an initiative called Adopt a Building. Their mission: to “holistically heal and transform” the San Francisco community through urgent-relief works and preventive works. read more

Three couples. One vision. And a 40-acre farm. That’s the genesis of Nomad’s Land, a cooperative community that aims to give road-weary travelers a place to rest and find fellowship with like-minded believers—and offer a new beginning to hippies, gutter punks, train hoppers and societal outcasts.

Joshua Hanson and his wife, Shallyn, along with Beau and Ashley Armistead, founders of Lone Sheep Ministries, and evangelists Al and Tina Nord, purchased the Alabama farm to fulfill a common vision: bringing together nomadic ministers and counterculture youth for an organic experience sprinkled with the love of God. read more

Evangelist endures “toughest year of my life” but says Jesus has healed him

The evangelist perhaps best known for the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Fla., Steve Hill battled melanoma for more than three years—and refused to give up despite what sounded like death knocking at his door. Now he’s preparing to run back to the battle line with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Steve Hill Ministries’ staff in June called for 48 hours of focused prayer and fasting on behalf of the evangelist who founded Heartland Church in Las Colinas, Texas, after the battle for his life intensified. What the staff didn’t tell the world at that time was that doctors had given him three days to live. read more

Fourteen thousand people from 49 nations recently convened in the world’s most populous Muslim nation for a single purpose: to unite the Spirit-filled movement across Asia to focus resources on the harvest.

After the dust settled on the four-day Empowered21 Asia Congress, Spirit-filled Christian leaders spoke out about what they experienced in Jakarta, Indonesia, and what it means for the global church.

“I believe those who were present received the fire of revival and will bring that fire to the nations,” says Empowered21 Asia host Niko Njotorahardjo, senior pastor of Gereja Bethel Indonesia. “This fire of revival was initiated by prayer, praise and worship, and unity over the past four days.” read more

It’s not unusual for churches to rent school auditoriums for worship services. The Bronx Household of Faith just wants the same rights other community groups have to assemble in public schools during off hours. But school officials who preside over the New York borough are allegedly discriminating against the group because it would use the facility for religious services, the church claims.

The New York City Department of Education consistently rejected Bronx Household’s request to meet at a school building for weekend services until a federal district court in 2002 issued an injunction prohibiting the department from keeping churches out. Now the U.S. Supreme Court may decide the matter. It’s a case that could have far-reaching ramifications for churches across the nation that wish to hold meetings in public schools. read more

Should government regulate Sunday morning sermons about political candidates? Most Protestant pastors don’t think so. A survey shows they want the freedom to preach what the Bible says about candidates’ positions.

According to LifeWay Research, nearly nine out of 10 Protestant senior pastors believe government should not regulate sermons.

“The survey confirmed what pastors of nearly every persuasion have told us for years: They don’t want the IRS or any other governmental agency to censor what they say from their pulpits,” said Alliance Defense Fund Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley. read more

Religion is on the move in Europe, but it’s heading in the wrong direction for Christians.

On the one hand, the pilgrim industry is booming. The European Union, local governments and liberal churches are investing millions to modernize and market medieval pilgrim routes. Millions—including a growing number of nonbelievers and charismatic Christians—have set out on holy trails.

On the other hand,campaigns are mounting against Bible-believing Christians who hold on to Jesus as the only way. Europeans, even within the churches, perceive biblical persuasions and morals as fundamentalist and anti-democratic. In some cases biblical Christianity is already illegal.

For centuries European emperors and kings imposed their religion of choice upon subjects—and European governments still claim the right to control religion. Authorities increasingly intervene, judging which religious convictions are compatible with the ruling definition of European democracy—which is secular pluralism. read more